Improvement in car-couplings



- draw-head, bar, and projection.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH SELLS, or VIENNA, ONTARIO, oANADA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 182,863, dated October 3, 1876; application filed March 21, 1876.

hereby declare the following to be an exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and; to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 representsordinary freightcars, with the car-couplings attached, showing a side view of the couplings, coupling-hooks, and levers. Fig. 2 represents-a front view of the levers and couplings as attached to the car. Fig. 3 shows a top sectional view oi the Fig.4 shows a side sectional view of the draw-head with its self-acting bar, projection, and partition, and the coupling-hook.

The nature of my invention consists in the projections on the insideof the draw-head, the self acting bar across the draw-head, and the combinationand the operation of the upright and cross-levers for coupling and uncoupling the cars without endangering the life'ot' the conductor.

A represents the draw-head with its projecting flange B on the insideto hold the coupling-hook O when in position. the draw-head is a self-acting bar, D, that rises when the book 0 is introduced, then falls into the notch E of the hook, and keeps the hook in position, and when the cars are to be uncoupled the bar D is raised and released from the notch E by raising the upright lever Gr or the cross-lever H, the cross-lever being pivoted to the upright lever .G.

The upright lever G is held by a pin, J, working in an angular slot, K, with restsfor the pin, to hold the lever G in its position, when raised or lowered, while the slot L in the cross-lever H allows the lever to be worked and moved to correspond with the position of the upright lever G.

The bar D works in side slots-B R in the draw-head, and is raised by the bolt S, that is attached to the top of the bar D, and hooked to the lower end of the lever G.

Across- M is a partition in the draw-head A, which is a guard against which the coupling-hook strikes, and is prevented from going farther back, and keeps the hook O in its proper position for its notch or flange N, to set immediately in the space between the partition M and the projection B, the projection Bholding the coupling 0 in its place, and preventing its being drawn out, and when the hook G is in its place the pin or bolt 1? is dropped into the draw-head A, and also secures the book from a lateral motion.

T represents an ordinary railway-car. The aperture V in the draw-head Ais intended for the insertion of an ordinary coupling-pin and link, when it is desired to couple the cars,

as heretofore, in the usual way with the common pin and link.

In case of an accident, and the cars are thrown off the track, the hook turns and the cars are instantly uncoupled. The coupling is set or attached from the top or either side by the levers.

Another advantage is when one car is in the depot or yard, the engineer backs up his train to attach to it, and the car is coupled while the engineer has already reversed his engine to move forward, thus saving time in the connecting of the cars.

My invention is self-acting when coupling or uncoupling, and it does not abolish the use of the ordinary draw-head, connecting-link, and link-bolt, but either can be used, and thus save the expense of doing away with the use of the ordinary link.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The improved draw-head, with its projection B, partition. M, self-acting rising and lowering cross-bar D, as connected with Jo- 'vers G and H, and their regulating-slots K and L, when combined, constructed, and opcrating as herein described, and for the pur poses set forth.

HUGH SELLS.

Witnesses J. FRANKLIN REIGART, EDWARD PrWHEELER. 

